If you’re going to Italy in August, you have to know two things. The first, most of the famous cities in Italy will be full of tourists. The second, Italians mostly go on a month long vacation in August, leaving many of the markets and shops emptied out, save for those who remain to make some money off the flood of tourists. You can do Rome, Florence, Venice and Siena but you will be elbow to elbow with about five billion Japanese, British, French and American tourists, hardly the Italian vacation many dream about. So, if you go to Italy, don’t go in August. If you must go in August, go to Rimini.
If you can’t afford the luxury of Sardinia, Capri or some of the more famously attractive coastlines of Southern Italy, and you really don’t want to be around other Americans, Rimini offers a whole different kind of Italian experience: a real beach vacation. The best thing about it is that almost no one there speaks English, as they do in most of the big cities. Some do, of course, but most of the time they stare are you confused when you try to speak to them. That alone makes it seem more like another country.
Rimini is located on the Northern coast Italy on the Adriatic Sea. It is about three hours South of Venice and also three hours North of Rome. It is mostly a place where other Italians go on vacation but also British, German and Russian tourists, which makes for an odd mix of fellow vacationers. There are, as far as I could tell, no traces of Americans anywhere. This made me wonder why not?
Is it because it is so expensive to go to Italy in the first place so why would they waste all that money on what amounts to a relaxing time at the beach? Or maybe if you’re going to put yourself out there you might as well travel to Fiji or Hawaii or the Virgin Islands. Perhaps. But there is something Rimini that those exotics locales don’t: friendly, family atmosphere. It is a town designed for tired parents and their activity-hungry offspring. You can’t walk a block without finding rides, games, toys or food for kids. The beaches are all designed around lounging adults and active kids.
Even the Adratic Sea seems designed for kids, with its gentle, lapping waves and its warmth. There aren’t many places parents can truly relax without worrying so much about their children – and try dragging an eight year-old around the Vatican.
The beaches of Rimini, with their miles of loungers and umbrellas seems out of another time. It is old fashioned from the way the beaches are set up to the houses in the town to kind of food they serve in their trattorias and beach bars. Rimini is known for its Piadina, a kind of flour tortilla stuffed with prosciutto, mainly, and squacquerone cheese is the main dish here. Almost every eatery will serve up the piada with the main course. They can be served with roast beef or grilled eggplant and tomatoes. After a day in the blistering sun, a piadina makes the perfect lunch. Beach bars also offer the fritto misto, fried fish, or you can order it steamed.
Rimini at night is a whole different story. It becomes the premiere disco hot spot for teens after dark and anything but old fashioned. Most Italians know Rimini for being a late-night pick-up hot spot. The discos of Rimini sit mostly on the outskirts of the main town. The real draw here, for families and anyone over the age of 30, is the beach experience. For a few Euros per chair a whole family can do what Italians have been doing for decades – sleep, play and enjoy the warm sun.
Somehow, it doesn’t seem possible Rimini will be unknown to Americans for long. If nothing else, some might want to visit famous Italian director Federico Fellini’s hometown and location of the infamous Grand Hotel, around which Fellini’s Armarcord was based. Of course, that it just one of the many reasons why Rimini is just a magical place, almost surreal in its loveliness. La Dolce Vita, indeed.
